Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in New Zealand
New Zealand: Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP was 1.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in New Zealand, 1973–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in New Zealand is 1.2%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 5.2% on the previous year and down 31.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in New Zealand peaked at 1.7% in 1996 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 1985.
That places New Zealand 40th out of 173 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 1.3% | — |
| 1974 | 1.2% | -3.1% |
| 1975 | 1.3% | +4.0% |
| 1976 | 1.6% | +21.6% |
| 1977 | 1.1% | -29.6% |
| 1978 | 1.1% | -1.5% |
| 1979 | 1.1% | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 1.3% | +18.4% |
| 1981 | 1.3% | -2.2% |
| 1982 | 1.3% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 1.1% | -13.3% |
| 1985 | 1.0% | -10.8% |
| 1986 | 1.0% | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 1.1% | +13.1% |
| 1988 | 1.4% | +20.4% |
| 1989 | 1.6% | +15.4% |
| 1994 | 1.6% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 1.6% | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 1.7% | +8.1% |
| 1997 | 1.7% | -3.5% |
| 2000 | 1.5% | -8.8% |
| 2013 | 1.7% | +12.2% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 1.6% | -5.3% |
| 2017 | 1.5% | -4.6% |
| 2018 | 1.5% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 1.5% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 1.5% | +6.3% |
| 2021 | 1.4% | -10.1% |
| 2022 | 1.2% | -10.7% |
| 2023 | 1.2% | -5.2% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 1.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.9%, 1.3× the median. (67 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 1.2% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.7%, 1.7× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.6% | 7 |
| 1980s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.6% | 9 |
| 1990s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.7% | 4 |
| 2000s | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 7 |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More education data for New Zealand
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 36,426 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 12,020 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 56,552 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 53,804 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 562,417 (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 383,018 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.15 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0724 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in New Zealand?
- Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp in New Zealand was 1.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 1996.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 1985.
- How does New Zealand rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp?
- New Zealand ranks 40th out of 173 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release